Slipping Through My Fingers
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: Holiday comes into Rex's room as he is having a nightmare and begins to sing to him. Really emotional. A Holiday/Rex Mother/Son fic. -Note: If the text becomes all italics near the end, sorry. My computer was being stupid.- Enjoy!


**Take THAT Writer's Block! HA! You thought I'd be out of it forever huh? Well HA! Ahem, sorry. It's just that I've had Writer's Block for anything fanfiction related for over a week now and it's been driving me insane. Then, I watched Mamma Mia and inspiration hit me! Now, I'm gonna give you guys a challenge: Read this fic while listening to the song "Slipping Through My Fingers" by ABBA without crying. It'll be rough. Trust me, it's all I can do to listen to this thing without crying! This is basically a Holiday/Rex Mother/Son songfic. Hope you like it!**

Holiday paused outside Rex's room. The door was slightly open. She could just barely hear the soft sound of Rex's steady breathing. Smiling to herself, she silently pushed the door open and slipped through. Rex had collapsed on the bed, still in his tee and jeans, his jacket tossed to the side. His blankets were crumbled up on the end of the bed. Holiday chuckled quietly and walked over, pulling the covers around his shoulders. Her hand moved up slightly, brushing aside some stray locks of black hair. Rex moved his head to the side, facing her, his eye twitching a little. He frowned, as if he was having a nightmare.

Holiday sat down next to his pillow, her hand rested comfortingly on his head. "It's okay, Rex." She gently stroked his hair. "I'm here. It's okay." He groaned in his sleep, his eyes crinkling. He was still scared... Leaning back against the headboard, Holiday began to quietly sing to him.

_Schoolbag in hand, he leaves home in the early morning  
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile  
I watch him go with a surge of that well-known sadness  
And I have to sit down for a while  
_

This wasn't the first time Holiday had decided to sit by Rex as he slept. Truth be told, this had been happening ever since Six first found him. He never woke up, never knew.

Never before had Holiday ever imagined feeling this way. She had never considered the possibility of having a son. She had decided early on that she would devote everything she had to trying to find a cure for Evos. To trying to save her sister...

Now, she couldn't imagine her life without that crazy, hyper, idiotic, impulsive, funny, wonderful kid. Every time she saw him, she'd feel a warm surge of love flowing through her chest along with a fierce desire to protect him from the dangers he faced every day. She never told him such things, of course. It was one thing to let him know that she cared deeply for him. Telling him that she loved him as if he was her own son was an entirely different matter!

No, she was completely satisfied to watch him have fun with Noah, train with Six, and go about his day-to-day life. He would smile at her as he ran out the door. She would listen to him laugh with Bobo and wouldn't have need for anything else.

_The feeling that I'm losing him forever  
And without really entering his world  
I'm glad whenever I can share his laughter  
That funny little boy_

Rex could feel the harsh, terrifying scenery of Abysus fading away. Something was interfering with the awful sound of Van Kleiss's laugh. A soft, gentle voice was singing to him. 'Huh?' As he felt the sleepy fog in his head dissipating, he realized that someone was stroking his hair. 'What the...?' He kept up the pretense that he was asleep.

He realized that the voice was Holiday's, as was the hand on his head. His muscles relaxed once more as his head sank into the pillow. He could feel a strange warmth emanating from where she sat. It was odd...it wasn't like the warmth of the sun, a radiator, or even that of Noah when he gave him a brotherly hug. This warmth made him feel...safe. He didn't want her to leave.

_Slipping through my fingers all the time  
I try to capture every minute  
The feeling in it  
Slipping through my fingers all the time  
Do I really see what's in his mind  
Each time I think I'm close to knowing  
He keeps on growing  
Slipping through my fingers all the time_

All those times she had let him run out the door without saying a word to him. All those times he had passed by while she was doing her paperwork. All those times when she thought an Evo might have killed him. These were all precious, countless moments that they would never get back. Holiday felt a tear trickle down her cheek.

There was something in her voice...a certain longing sadness. For some reason, that tone combined with the lyrics being sung caused a lump to rise in Rex's throat. He moved slightly, still acting like he was sleeping, and shifted so he was a little closer to her. Her hand adjusted and rested gently on his shoulder, rubbing soothingly. He barely kept from letting out a sob. He couldn't understand this feeling. He felt this serene happiness combined with...something that was making him want to cry. What was it?

_Sleep in our eyes, him and me at the breakfast table  
Barely awake, I let precious time go by  
Then when he's gone there's that odd melancholy feeling  
And a sense of guilt I cant deny_

Holiday felt Rex shift closer to her and felt her expression soften even more. She smiled softly, continuing to sing softly, feeling his tense muscles relaxing.

Their relationship was supposed to be purely professional, that of doctor and ward. That was what White had insisted on. It was all she could do to keep it that way. It hurt that the only times she could let the true extent of her feelings show was when Rex was asleep. It was doubtful that he would ever know...

She felt her voice crack.

_What happened to the wonderful adventures  
The places I had planned for us to go  
(slipping through my fingers all the time)  
Well, some of that we did but most we didn't  
And why I just don't know_

Rex sniffed involuntarily as he heard her voice crack. Her hand stopped moving and she stopped singing as she realized that he was awake. He reached up and took her hand in his, holding it tightly, afraid that she would leave if he let go. He stared up at her, not trusting himself to say anything without tearing up.

Holiday felt her heart melt in her chest and returned Rex's grip. She could see a slight glimmer going across his cheek. She reached out with her other hand and gently brushed it away. At the same time, she could feel moist trails being etched down her face. She began to sing again, her voice shaking with indescribable emotion.

_Slipping through my fingers all the time  
I try to capture every minute  
The feeling in it  
Slipping through my fingers all the time  
Do I really see whats in his mind_

_Each time I think I'm close to knowing  
He keeps on growing  
Slipping through my fingers all the time_

Rex moved up into a sitting position and wrapped his arms tightly around Holiday, burying his face in her shoulder. He felt that comforting warmth surround him as she embraced him, resting her head on top of his. He sniffed again and felt more tears leaking from his closed eyes.

He could remember...he had felt this way before...a long time ago... He couldn't sort out the details in his mind, but he knew that the situation had been similar. What had it been? He just couldn't place it...

Holiday felt pure love radiating from her entire being. She listened to Rex's confused sobs and held him tighter, rocking him slowly back and forth.

_Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture  
And save it from the funny tricks of time  
Slipping through my fingers..._

Was this...what it felt like...having a mom? Could that be what he was feeling? Rex nestled closer to Holiday and nuzzled her lab coat. Everything about her seemed to be the very definition of comfort, love, and peace: her scent, her warmth, her voice, her touch...

_Slipping through my fingers all the time_

Holiday felt Rex shift closer to her and closed her eyes. She could feel his sobs ebbing away. Fatigue was beginning to take him again. His grip on her wasn't quite as urgent. It was calmer, as if he finally knew that she wasn't leaving.

She took a shuddering breath before singing the last line.

_Schoolbag in hand he leaves home in the early morning  
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile...  
_

Silence wrapped around the two like a quilt. Neither spoke for the longest time. After awhile, Holiday was sure that Rex had fallen asleep. Then, she felt him shift so that he was looking up at her with shining mahogany eyes.

"I love you, Holiday." He mumbled, snuggling up against her.

Holiday felt more tears returning to her eyes: another mixture of love, happiness, and something else that simply couldn't be named. She planted a soft kiss on his head.

"I love you too, Rex." She whispered.

Rex fell asleep soon after that, but Holiday didn't move. She stayed by his side all night, savoring every passing minute, determined to treasure each one more than the last...

**Oh man... I was crying while writing this. No joke! I had a lump in my throat and tears blurring my vision of the screen! It probably didn't help that I was listening to the song while writing... I tried to make this as realistic as possible. The descriptions of when Rex was being held by Holiday and the comfort and sense of something he couldn't name came from personal experience... My godfather died a few years ago and Mom held me while I cried... And the whole thing with the combined happiness and urge to cry...yeah that's from experience too... Oh jeez, here I go again! Hope you people appreciate this one! I poured my blood, sweat, and tears (literally) into this! Peace out. I need a tissue...**


End file.
